| Abstract |
Asbestos is a toxic mineral known to produce debilitating health effects in humans. Because of its toxicity, it is necessary to have effective techniques and methods to detect and quantify asbestos in the environment. In the case of the Superfund Program, which is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), effective detection techniques and methods are needed to aid in the discovery of contaminated sites, assess the severity of contamination, and to determine if cleanup efforts have been successful. Over the years, a number of techniques and methods have been developed for asbestos, but there is no clearly superior technique or method. Each technique or method has its own strengths and weaknesses, and these strengths and weaknesses must be carefully weighed to determine how to best detect asbestos under a given circumstance. |
